The Illuminating Beginnings of Gas Boilers

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The Illuminating Beginnings of Gas Boilers

In this episode, Dan Holohan takes us back to 1917 when the gas lighting industry, threatened by Edison’s lightbulb, branched into the business of gas boilers and furnaces.

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Lance

You know Dan, in a way this "sales pitch" sounds a lot like the term we got from that 1933 play, Gas Light. "Gaslighting"

In a way you could say this gas light industry inspired the playwriter.

History is fascinating. I see it as the one place where truth and lies can be questioned with the modern wisdom of those wanting to question authority to determine the facts. Otherwise, we remain undereducated. Even Jesus wanted us to question authority. It is the discovery of truth that leads us out of darkness into enlightenment. Beware those who dissuade us from questioning authority. Why? Because "why" is the one question that leads to the truth in nature, of man or beast, in science of what works or not. I have written; "Only the wise and mature will not be deceived. They always question authority to properly identify a thing as true or false or “to be determined.”

Lance

mattmia2

And it was carbon monoxide. And it didn't have an oderant.

I don't think the gasworks or the mains had the capacity to supply enough gas to fire everyone's boiler or furnace until they built out the natural gas network in the 50's.

jumper

Gas didn't need power burner or oil pump. Heating oil companies explored distributing the fuel via pipes.

CLamb

I'm thinking that it was more expensive then the available alternatives for heating because all the gas supplied was manufactured. There were no pipelines to the big cities from the natural gas fields in those days.